Vesper's Artifacts

World of Orthaya #2

by Kay MacLeod

Time to gather a party and venture forth!

Nathaniel Tarrandor Kelbrooke is determined to prove his worth by founding the greatest artifact hunting group of all time. And he refuses to use the money and connections of his wealthy adoptive family to get there.

When he hears about an ancient site recently uncovered by a landslide, he’s instantly up against established teams to be the first to explore the perilous tunnels. So what if his party consists of a fairy who would rather stay home drafting supply lists and a spiritling historian with no field experience? It’s not like he can afford to pay them, anyway…

Ahead is an arduous trek, the remains of an avalanche, a cave full of monsters, and —worst of all— the possibility of no treasure at the end.

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2022

About the author

Authentic characters, innovative abilities, serious snark!

Kay MacLeod is a fantasy addict from Nottinghamshire in England. She loves magical worlds and spends much more time in them than that boring real one.

If Kay isn’t writing, or thinking about writing, she’ll be immersed in reading, gaming, playing bass at church, or painting miniatures. She grew up addicted to Terry Pratchett books, Magic: The Gathering, and lording it over her fellow nerds as the DM in Dungeons & Dragons games. Fortunately, this gave her plenty of storytelling practice and made her grateful that all the characters do as they’re told now other people aren’t controlling them.

Kay’s gaming experience shines through in her works, from the Pokemon-inspired Maiyamon books to her epic fantasy, which readers say has a hint of a Dragon Age tale.

With character development at the heart of each story, they’re backed up by distinctive magic systems and a dash of sarcastic humour that gives Kay MacLeod her unique voice.

Reviews

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I really like Kay MacLeod's books and was looking forward to read this one. It is set in the same world as Trial of the Red Rune, but can easily be read as a standalone. This book follows Nathaniel's point of view, who wants to found an artifact hunting group and create something for himself without the help of his wealthy adoptive family. It has a nice fantasy and adventurous vibe and it fit my current reading mood.

I liked reading about Nathaniel, I felt like we got a good feel for his character and motivations. You really feel his love for adventure and travel and his determination to create his artifact hunting group. I liked reading about him and thought he was an interesting character to read about. After they hear about a newly discovered ruin he teams up with his best friend Cal and a newly hired person to check it out. They run into more trouble than expected.

I liked the pace of the book and how we got to know the characters as well as have a smoothy progressing story. The author got a good balance between plot and character development. There's plenty of action, but I also liked how they don't solve everything with violence. There are even some touching scenes that give insight into characters and a bit of a sad scene toward the end.

I liked seeing a bit of the various magical races in the world as well as the interesting tavern for flying species only. There are lots of interesting bits and pieces to give a feel for the world and there's definitely enough potential for more stories whether about Nate and his group as well as other characters. I do hope we see more of Nate and his group as they were fun to read about.

To summarize: This was a fun read. I liked the adventuring vibe of the story. Nate is an interesting character to read about and I felt like I got a good feel for his motivations and personality. The pace is well done, but there's plenty we learn about the characters as well to bring them alive. There's plenty of action as well as some scenarios they solve without violence. I hope we see more of Nate and his group in future books as there's definitely potential for more stories about them. I liked how we see a bit of the world and the various magical races. I had fun reading this one and look forward to more stories set in this world.

[Shivani McFarland · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are familiar with Kay's writing, you know you are in for a great adventure with plenty of unusual or mythical creatures. 'Vesper's Artifacts' is book two of the World of Orthaya. If you read 'Trail of the Red Ruin', we get her long-awaited sequel. I love this world because it has my favorite creatures, faeries, elves, imps just to name a few. Kay's world building is detailed with richness and color, and different enough from all her other fantasy adventures. So far the main characters are Nate, and Cal. Nate comes from a rich family but loves adventure and treasure hunting allows him the means to bring in his very own money. Cal is a dark fairy and like a brother to Nate who grew up alongside Nate. Nate want to start a business of treasure hunting, artifact, and relic location with Cal as his partner. Now all Nate has to do is pitch the idea to Cal hoping he'll sign on. Much transpires, a new recruit is added, and the new team is off on its first adventure. It's fast paced, fun, entertaining and cheaper than a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the world building and the other worldly characters in this story. There is much action in this novella…plenty of variety yet the characters and the surroundings are not compromised but given much detail.

Sad and happy events occur with deep friendship and trust displayed. However there were, I felt, several unnecessary words used and vulgar sexual references near the start which reduced the rating for this reader.

Overall, apart from that, I would recommend this author’s great story telling ability, always having something different in her novellas to surprise the reader and the story keeps the reader gripped.

Received this as an Advanced Reader Copy and this is my own opinion.

[Carrie-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella, sometimes novellas fall a little short for me because you don't always have the space and time to give the characters and the plot enough room to breath, but this didn't fall into that trap!

I love the new characters, the storyline was great with genuinely humorous bits but also emotional scenes, the perfect mix.

Also, I 100% take credit for coming up with the title of this book.

[TaniaRina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the interviewing process for the artifact quest to be quite attention-grabbing. There was actually some give & take banter between Nate and a candidate. Not the typical “company checking out the potential employee”, but rather the interviewee being an active participant. And Nate gave relevant feedback after testing. We need more of that IRL.

Treasure and fantastical beasts – what else could a girl want?

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great adventure from the the World of Orthaya series. Filled with all kinds of supernatural beings from faeries to elves and imps, this world building is incredible and draws you in. It’s an exciting, fun and fast paced adventure as we follow Nate and Cal on their journey as they go hunting for artifacts. There’s lots of suspense, danger, mystery and a few twists to keep you on your toes as we face avalanches, monsters and so much more but what a fantastic adventure it is!

[Pierre Fortier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and quite entertaining story, with hints that there will be more to come. I am eagerly awaiting the next story in the saga.

I received a free ARC copy of this book and am under no obligation to leave a review.